Heyl & Patterson Blog

Users of railcar dumper systems are invited to discuss the technologies and issues that affect their jobs, at the bi-annual Heyl & Patterson Dumper User Group Conference.  Originally formed in 1984 as the first conference of its kind, the Dumper User Group promotes the efficient and economic operation of rotary railcar dumpers and establishes best practices for the safe operation and maintenance of dumper systems.

The world has changed incredibly since Heyl & Patterson was founded in 1887.  The company has grown and changed across 14 decades, thanks to a heritage of innovation and the commitment of our employees.  We invented several of the markets for our products and have continuously developed to improve our products to meet or exceed our customers’ needs. Heyl & Patterson holds over 100 patents for new products and improvements to existing machines.

A few months ago, the Heyl & Patterson blog tackled the competition of the Continuous Barge Unloader vs. the Grab Bucket Unloader, to see which machine was the best for unloading river barges.  A grab bucket is a simple enough machine: a clamshell bucket is lowered onto a barge, takes a bite of bulk materials and ascends to deposit its contents into a receiving hopper.  However, the Continuous Barge Unloader is far more complex.  This article will examine this machine more closely to see what makes it tick.

Coal became the preferred fuel for powering American cities in the 19th century, replacing wood around 1850.  Anthracite from the coal regions of Pennsylvania and West Virginia was perfect for household uses because it had high quality with few impurities, and stoves and furnaces were designed for it.  The rich Appalachian anthracite fields were close to the big eastern cities and a few major rail lines such as Reading Railroad.

Repositioning railroad cars in a rail-switching operation has always been a formidable task. Before the advent of the railcar mover, large locomotives were often employed to move the cars relatively short distances.  Locomotives are very expensive and overpowered for the situation.  They often require a special rail yard design to allow them to move cars around or out of the way of connecting rail carriers, while older locomotives used specifically for this purpose may not have readily available parts.

The first appearance of the Continuous Barge Unloader, or CBU, in the United States was in steel mill applications.  Although primarily used for iron ore offloading, the machines also saw early use as coal and coke unloaders.  Different styles of CBUs were applied to specific projects as determined by water level fluctuations, barge size and needed discharge capacities.  The CBU offered numerous advantages over the traditionally employed clamshell or grab bucket style barge unloader.

During World War II, the U.S. government utilized a system of production awards to acknowledge the efforts of manufacturing plants that provided much-needed materials for the war effort.  The Navy “E” Award was based on excellence in quality and quantity, overcoming production obstacles, fair labor standards, conserving critical and strategic materials, low absenteeism and effective management, among other considerations.  An honor not easily won nor lightly bestowed, this wartime honor recognized companies that consistently met high standards with available resources.

Railways were introduced to India in 1853, and as their development progressed in the 20th century, several organizations grew to enforce standardization and coordination among the various railway systems.  Each company formulated its own rules and regulations regarding charging, booking and carriage of passengers and goods.  Due to the multiple rules, the Indian rail system was known for its inconvenience.

The approval of new regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency regarding air pollution, water pollution and waste disposal could result in the retirement of 35-70 gigawatts of coal-fired power generation nationwide.  Electricity rates will most certainly rise, and many believe that even if construction jobs are created in the green industry, virtually no manufacturing jobs are likely to be created from the replacement of coal.  Transmission grid stability will emerge as a major issue, both because of power plant shutdowns and the intermittency of renewables.

In August 1961, encyclopedia publisher Funk & Wagnalls received a letter from Frank Hatten of Delavan, Illinois, requesting an appropriate word to describe his town’s 125th anniversary.  Two words that had previously been coined were "cenquadtennial" and "cent quart ennial," and Hatten was looking for a suggestion on which word might be preferable.